How to start cultivating strawberries and raspberries

Q: I want to grow a good producing strawberry in a container. What do you suggest?

I also I want to plant some raspberries in my garden. What do you suggest I buy in good producing large berries?

I have also just put in new lawn (turf type) so I would like to know what kind of fertilizer I should use.

Strawberries such as ‘Totem’ (June-bearing) or ‘Tristar’ (“ever bearing” fruits, summer til frost) are good varieties for containers.

Ensure your pot is sufficiently large to maintain uniformity in soil moisture. Keep plants from bearing the first season by removing flowers and runners. Plants are productive in the second and third season; after this, plants should be replaced with clean, certified plants. Avoid the temptation to use runners from previous plants since they may contain virus(es), which can hinder yields.

For raspberries, try Rubus idaeus ‘Tulameen’, which has very large fruit with excellent flavour. This cultivar has been developed for the Pacific Northwest and is commonly used by commercial growers.

Avoid rich soil, which could produce extremely large plants. About six to eight weeks after installing your sod, use a balanced fertilizer as directed on the package, e.g. 23-3-23. Make sure the fertilizer is applied uniformly, e.g. spreader, and water in well.